Improvement in balloons



T. L. SHAW.

BALLOON.

No. 37,667. Patented Feb. 16, 1863.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L. SHAW, OF OMAHA CITY, NEBRASKA TERRITORY.

IMPROVEMENT IN BALLOONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,667, dated February 10, 1R65.

To all Iwhom. vit may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. SHAW, of Omaha City, in the county of'Douglas and Territory of Nebraska, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Navigating the Air; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference bein g had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in making a balloon tlat on two sides, connected with a car by cords or wires, but furnished with an apparatusforturning the. balloon independent of the car, and by which the balloon can be immediately detached from the car, if necessity should require it, in a descent upon water or land; also, in having the car provided with gaschambers sufficiently strong to hold a large quantity of compressedv gas, the gas being withdrawn from the balloon and forced =into the chambers by means of a forcepump if the aeronaut wishes to descend, or if he desires to ascend the gas may be returned to the balloon by means of pipes and valves properly arranged or through the gas-conductor, by which arrangement the necessity for the large quantity of ballasting heretofore required will be obviated, the whole to be moved through the air by a wheel-with blades set at an angle like the ordinary propeller or by any other suitable means.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to de .necting the netting of the balloon and the turning apparatus; c, d, e, f, and @the turning apparatus; g, the gas-conductorsleading from the balloon to the gas-chamber; h h, the

cords or wires by which thc car is suspended at a proper distance beneath thc balloon; K, the car, and p the propeller-wheel.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged `view otl the turning apparatus, in connection with the cords connecting it with thc balloon. The hand-wheel li is used to operate the pinion c, whereby the position of the car is changed in order to steer in any course desired by the aeronant, and that is done by revolving the balloon independently of the ear. The wheel or plate d is operated by thc pinion c for the purposes aforesaid. The plate e receives the cords or wires /t h by which lthe car is suspended, and is connected with the plate or wheel db v a hollow screw, n, and in case of necessity by the unscrewing of the nut f the balloon becomes at once detached from the car.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through a a Y the balloon there must be a gas conductor'from each separate apartment to the gas-chambers. Fig. 4 represents a cross-section of the car or boat, in the sides or ends of which the gaschambers m m may be placed, as will be most convenient. The force-pump x is used to withdraw the gas from the balloonl and to force it into the chambers m m, and by the proper construction of valves and pipes it is returned to theballoon as occasion may require.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A balloon constructed, arranged, and oper. ated substantiallyin the manner described. THOMAS L. SHAW. Witnesses WILLIAM E. HARVEY, DAN. GANTT. 

